As special counsel Robert Mueller builds his case, relatives of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn are among those pressing the president to use his unique legal power and ‘put these defendants out of their misery.’

White House: Trump has seen controversial memo on FBI surveillance

Donald Trump has seen and been briefed on a classified Republican-drafted memo that alleges misconduct by senior FBI officials investigating his 2016 campaign, a White House official said Thursday, amid signs the president would not block its public release.

Making the secret document public would require brushing aside concerns raised by Trump’s own FBI director but would energize allies who believe the memo could discredit special counsel Robert Mueller, who’s leading a criminal investigation into Trump’s campaign associates’ ties to Russia.

The production of the memo could be explosive. Democrats say the document, crafted by aides to intelligence committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), is misleading spin intended to undermine Mueller just as he’s hauling in members of Trump’s inner circle in his inquiry into whether the president tried to obstruct the Russia probe.

On Thursday morning, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi sent separate letters to Ryan, blasting his handling of the memo. Pelosi, a former ranking Democrat on the intelligence committee, called on Ryan to remove Nunes from his post immediately.

House Republicans have largely dismissed the complaints, describing the memo as an opportunity to spotlight what they say is abuse of the FBI’s spying program. The memo, according to people who have viewed it, alleges top FBI officials misled a federal court to obtain a warrant to spy on Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page. They say a disputed dossier alleging illicit Trump ties to Russia — compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele — played a role in obtaining that warrant.

Republicans argue the FBI failed to properly disclose that Steele was working for Fusion GPS, a firm that had been hired by the campaign of Trump’s 2016 rival Hillary Clinton, when he compiled the material that became the dossier.

The White House has indicated it had no problem publicizing the memo, saying Trump favored transparency on the issue. On Tuesday, he was caught by microphones telling a lawmaker he “100 percent” supported making the document public.

It’s unclear, however, when the memo itself could be produced publicly. If Trump does not attempt to block it, as expected, it could take Republicans on the House intelligence committee until Friday to follow steps to release it. Some lawmakers said it might take until the House comes back from a recess on Monday.